2 More Pounds...

2 More pounds.  That's all.  I'm praying that I wake up tomorrow morning at 199.  I want so badly to break the 200 mark.  For me, its a personal goal that lifts a huge weight off my shoulders.  Literally!  I've been struggling with the 200lb mark since my freshman year of college.  That's 10.5 years of hating the number 200.  For all I care, 200 can suck it.  Cause I'm gonna see that number for a minimum of one more week.  After that, I'm NEVER seeing it again.  NEVER!

Eating is going better.  Although Chinese food is probably something I should wait a while to try again.  (Yeah, that wasn't a great idea!)  But I'm able to eat more meats, salads, and fruits.  And OMG, I used to hate raspberries, but I cannot get enough of them now.  Fresh raspberries.  Yum!

Oh, and my wedding rings no longer fit.  They were originally a size 7.  I had to have them sized up to a size 8 after Elliot was born.  I went to my uncle, who owns Swifts Jewelry, and he took them to resize them to a ---size 6.5!  That's crazy.  I am 20lbs lighter now than when I got married.  Heck, from when I got engaged!  I literally don't think I can wear my wedding dress anymore.  And not because its too small!  Yay!

The weight loss is slower now.  Its very strange.  I'll have a fat day, where I feel really big.  Then the scale will move one or two pounds, then a few days later I have a skinny day.  Like today.  So I took a picture.  :)  







































Today's Weight: 201
Total Loss: 48 lbs

Easter

We had a great Easter here!  The family and I loaded up on Thursday afternoon and made the trip to Little Rock to visit Jon's parents.  We had a blast!  I didn't get sick once, and we even got a night out.  We went out with friends to dinner at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant, and it was sooooo good!  I'm finding that seared Ahi Tuna is one of my favorite dishes.  It sits nicely, and tastes amazing.  I also had a few veggies, some miso soup, a few bites of rice, a shrimp, and a few bites of Jon's steak.  Heaven I tell you!  And I had an orange for dessert!  So good.  I wish we were rich and I could eat Japanese food every night!

Easter dinner was good too.  The ham didn't sit too well, but I did manage to eat some green beans, Hash Brown Casserole, a crescent roll, and some corn.  Overall, eating went well!

We mainly rested and played with the kids while we were there.  It was nice to get away and relax!  And I managed to loose a pound even over Easter.  Yay!

Today's weight: 208
Total Loss: 41lbs

HOLY COW!

Today I realized that I have lost  40lbs since surgery.  47 since Christmas.  That's a lot of weight guys!  I'm in a bit of shock.  I went through my closet and got rid of all the clothes that are too big for me.  It was a TON of stuff.  9 pair of jeans.  4 pair of slacks. over 75 shirts.  And that's just my closet.  I still have to go through my dresser.  (Most of that I'll be keeping though.  I can handle T shirts that are too big.  They're great for sleeping and painting in.)  My underwear is even getting big.  Not the bras, I've already had to buy new bras, and the new ones are starting to get big in the band again--but the panties.  You know you've lost weight when your panties are too big!

Its really surreal to have lost this much.  And I still have 70lbs left to go.  I never realized I had gotten so big.  Now I look at those clothes and think, "Wow, those are huge?  How did I fit into those?"  The worst part is, those clothes were starting to get tight on me too.  It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of me, because, well, it has. :)

Notice Elliot in the tub behind me?  

Today's Weight: 209
Total Loss: 40lbs

Picture Time!

Here's a picture from today!  Parker wanted in the photo too!


And just for reference, here's me 35lbs ago:

Still Trucking!

This week has been a little rough.  Its rained ALL WEEK LONG.  So exercising has been a challenge to say the least.  However, my neighbor owns a local gym, and she told me that I can go workout anytime I want, for FREE!  Yay!  She's out of town this week, so I probably shouldn't just waltz in there without her being there to set up my membership, but next week, its on!

I had my 6 week post op appointment this week.  (I'm really 7 weeks out)   Everything went well.  I'm losing like I should be, and my blood pressure is way down!  (It was never high, usually around 125/80, but at my appointment it was 100/70!)  So I'm guessing my body is getting healthier internally as well as externally.  Yay!

I feel a lot better.  I can now buy almost anything I want in the regular sized section of the store.  No more plus sizes for me!  Yay!  I was wearing XXL T shirts before, and now XL tees are getting big on me.  I'm sure that in your basic Hanes Tee, I'll be wearing a Large in the next few weeks.  Also, I've gone from a size 20 jean, to a size 16, and the same with dresses.  :)

Overall, all is well.  I'm able to eat more, and I don't feel miserable after every single meal now.

Today's weight: 214
Total Loss: 35lbs

OOPS!

Holy Cow!  I didn't realize its been 2 weeks since I last blogged.  Sorry!  March has been a crazy busy month for me.  Elliot was sick, and I've been booking photo sessions, and well, I've been outside playing with the kids in this beautiful weather.  Which was the main reason I wanted to have surgery.  Basically, I was so big that I had a ton of insulation, and if it got over 70 degrees I was one big sweaty mess outside.  And I couldn't move enough to enjoy playing with the kids.  Sad.  I know.

Anyway, yesterday Parker and I made a ton of drawings on the driveway with Sidewalk Chalk while Elliot napped.  Then last night after dinner, when Parker crashed out early, Jon and Elliot and I went out back and played in the back yard.  It was so nice!

I bought a barely used jogging stroller from a friend last week, and I'm going to load the kiddos up here in a few minutes, and go for a morning jog.  It sounds like fun.  Our weather has been so nice for March.  Highs in the mid to upper 70s, and lows in the mid 50s.  The trees are starting to bloom, and the tulips are popping up.  Yay!

Anyway, I'll get to the good stuff.  No pictures today, because I'm in workout gear without a bra at the moment, but I'll try to get some by the end of this week.  And yes, I've lost more weight.  And even more in inches.  Lots of people are noticing now.  I'm noticing.  My stomach isn't as big.  My pants don't fit.  I've gone down 2 pant sizes, and 2 dress sizes.  I can buy all my clothes at Old Navy now, without having to order from the plus size section.  :)  That is so refreshing.  I haven't ventured to many other stores yet.  The kids have been nuts lately, so I'm not into taking them.  I'm thinking I'll try to get to the mall when my mom visits next week for Spring Break.

I promise to post more!

Today's Weight: 218
Total Loss: 31lbs!

Spaghetti Squash, and new Bras!

OK, so I know the title is a little crazy, but hey, I wanted to tell you about both in one post!

So the other night I made a dinner that Jon and the kids LOVED, and I could eat a lot of it too!  It was soooo good, and almost vegetarian!  We have discovered Spaghetti Squash folks!  All I did was cut 3 small spaghetti Squash in half lengthwise.  I scooped out the seeds like you would a pumpkin, and then brushed the insides with olive oil and sprinkled a little salt on them.  Then I stuck them on a cookie sheet and baked them for one hour at 400 degrees.  Then I let them cool, and shredded the squash with a fork to form spaghetti "noodles".

Now for the actual Recipe!

1 tub 1/3 less fat Philly Cooking Cream (Any flavor you like--I used the garlic and herb)
spaghetti Squash
1-2 chicken breasts
Emeril's Bam Seasoning
Olive Oil
1 cup Frozen Mixed Veggies

OK, First, sprinkle some Bam seasoning on your chicken breast(s).  Then heat about 3 TBSP of olive oil over medium high heat in a medium skillet.  Add the chicken breasts, and cook on both sides until juices run clear.  Set the chicken aside.  Reduce the heat in your pan to medium. Now, add the veggies to the pan that you cooked the chicken in.  Let them cook until they aren't frozen anymore, and start to get pretty warm.  Then add your philly Cooking Cream to the pan.  Stir it around until the cream melts and coats the veggies nicely.  Go ahead and reduce the heat to low once the cream gets hot.  Shred those chicken breasts, and add the chicken and the spaghetti squash to the pan.  Toss with tongs to coat.  So yummy!

I wish I was all fancy like the Pioneer Woman, and had a picture, but my family wolfed it down so fast, I didn't get any pictures!


OK, on to the good news!  I had to go bra shopping yesterday.  My bras had gotten too big in the band.  Yay!  But my boobs didn't shrink any, so Now I'm starting to look very Dolly Parton-esque.  Oh well.  While I was there, I found a dress that looked great on me too!  (I used to never wear dresses, because, well, when you're as big around as you are tall, all dresses just end up looking like mumus.)  I was so excited!  Then today, I noticed that since going down a size in jeans, these jeans are super baggy in the butt.  So I went to Old Navy this morning and bought a size 16 jean!  (I started this journey in a very tight size 20.)  This is great news!  And, for the first time in forever, I found 3 shirts there that fit.  I've been having to order the plus size clothes online for almost a year now, and now I can fit into the clothes right off the rack at the store!  I think Jon might go broke now that I can drive to the mall and buy clothes and feel good in what I'm wearing!  (And yes, I'm using a ton of exclamation marks, but this is exciting stuff people!)

So anyway, I'm feeling good, and I'm getting smaller.  Woohoo!

Today's Weight: 226
Total Loss: 23 pounds!